Our first product search happened in 2006 and the launch of our Product Practice in 2016; since then, we have been building product teams for venture-funded tech startups across Canada and in select US markets.
One of the most common situations we get engaged in is helping a Founder hire their first Product Manager.
Sometimes our stakeholder is the Founder/CEO, other times, it's the CoFounder/CTO. Whomever the role will report to, this hire will be the first person to take the baby from a (Co)Founder, so we don't have to tell you, or your VP People & Talent, that is a special person.
Here are the most common requirements Founders want that special hire to embody:
Our most typical clients in this hiring situation:
- The company is a B2B SaaS business whose ARR is achieved by a sales team pursuing enterprise customers. The business might also offer a self-serve (PLG) model for SMB customers.
- Revenues are $3-10M ARR.
- The Founder or CoFounder will continue to own the long-term strategic roadmap.
Given those assumptions, this is the profile many clients of this size engage us to recruit for:
- Senior-level individual contributor
- Previous B2B SaaS experience
- Capable of managing the product strategically
- Market facing skills and ability to engage with customers to understand their needs:
- Ability to analyze customer requests to recognize future product opportunities that add value for all customers
- And the confidence to say 'no' to everything else
Does this sound like the Product Manager you need to hire? Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you hire strategically.
Or check out our latest Product Case Studies
